Staying Fit
As a kid growing up in Harlem with Abuelita, I learned everything I would later need to lead the U.S. Public Health Service. I was the oldest of her grandchildren, and Abuelita probably taught me more about community service than anybody. She always made sure no one needed anything, but we lived at the margin, were characterized as “ghetto,” growing up in “the hood.” All of those adjectives associated with what we today call the social determinants of health.
Abuelita was only 5 feet tall, maybe 90 pounds, soaking wet. No matter how poor, she always carried herself like a queen but very approachable. She was one of these matriarchs in the community. Even though she had meager resources, there were always people in her little apartment whom I didn’t know.
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These were new immigrants whom she would cook for, sew for, give a little money to. So, what I really saw was a community activist before it was politically correct. Through her actions, more than words, she taught me the responsibility of helping others. She was the one who hammered into me to be proud of who you are, to know your ancestry.
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